Outbreak
by otaku-chan2313
Summary: Seattle has been hit with a deadly virus, and the infected are taking over faster than anyone can imagine. The government has abandoned the country completely, and everyone is left to fend for themselves. Based off of AMC's Fear the Walking Dead. "Prequel" to my other Walking Dead fic, "Plauge: part I." The two stories will eventually blend together.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: Spread**

 _BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!_ Scott groaned and rolled over to turn off his alarm.

"I could've sworn you got home three hours ago," his girlfriend, Jess, mumbled groggily.

"Because I _did_ get home three hours ago," he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, "That's what I get for setting my alarm for 6:30 AM every day."

"They need to stop calling you in for late shifts."

"People need to stop calling off so I don't have to take those shifts."

"Do you think it's that bug that's floating around?"

"It has to be," he sat up slowly, "Why else would so many people call off at once?"

"Because they're assholes." Scott couldn't stop himself from laughing.

"You're the best." He bent down to kiss her and then proceeded to get up. The only reason Scott got up at 6:30 every day (sometimes earlier on weekends for opening shifts), was so that he could catch his bus and make it to his 8:00 AM class. Even then, he was sometimes a tad late. It was quiet on this particular Thursday morning, which was no surprise to him. There was a bug or a flu that had been going around, and anyone that was paying attention could see that it was hitting Seattle and any major city pretty hard. On top of that, the east coast had been quarantined and all forms of travel and trade from that area had been suspended. Everything after that was pretty much a given: stock market on the verge of crashing, less people showing up on the bus to go to work or to school, less students on campus, everything. A lot of the professors had been cancelling classes as well, but Scott never seemed to be that lucky. It was almost a miracle that he got through his first class without falling asleep. He was so exhausted that he didn't even bother skateboarding across campus to his next class; he had twenty minutes to kill anyway. He heard the rolling of wheels coming up on his left and turned to see his friend, Raven.

"Yo!" she said as she stopped and flipped her board up, "What's eating you?"

"Exhaustion is what's eating me."

"Didn't sleep well?"

"Ha! I didn't sleep enough; work called me in to close. I didn't get home until 3:30."

"Fuck! And you're an early riser."

"Mhm…." He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and pulled it out to look at it.

"Well, fancy that."

"What?"

"Our class is cancelled until further notice." Raven pulled out her own phone and read the email.

"Sick! I can go home!"

"I still have another class, but it's not until later tonight."

"Aw, that sucks. Well, do you want to get a coffee or something? My treat."

"Well, if you're buying," he smiled.

"No, Brian, this is getting ridiculous. This is the tenth day in a row that I have worked and the fourth time in the past week that you've asked me to cover a shift."

"I just need you to do an inventory count. Please, Scott. We're slammed and we need to have it done tonight." Scott sighed deeply into the phone.

"Alright, fine. I should be there around two if traffic isn't too bad."

"Thank you so much! I owe you one."

"Yeah, you do," he grumbled after he had hung up.

"Again?" Raven asked.

"Yeah. Again. At least it's just inventory," he took one last swig from his cup, "I'll still go to the park today, but I'll probably be late."

"A'ight. I'll see you then."

"See ya. Thanks for the coffee." He stood up and rode his skateboard to the nearest bus stop. On the ride to work, he managed to get in a short nap, but it only made him feel more tired. The inventory count was a disaster. Nothing had been organized and there was practically nothing in either of the walk-ins; the whole process took a little over an hour. After organizing and counting everything, he emerged from the cooler and knocked on the office door.

"Okay," he walked into the open door and shut it behind him, "With any luck I'd say you have enough to last you through the rest of tonight and quite possibly half of tomorrow." Brian shifted uncomfortably in his seat and hummed a response.

"What's going on?"

"We were supposed to get a delivery yesterday, but the guy never showed up. I called again today and got a busy signal. I've tried calling corporate and they've been getting more calls than they can handle." The two of them were silent for a while.

"Well, I'm going to head out now."

"Um," Scott turned back towards his manager, "Do you think you could help close tonight?" Anger bubbled up in his stomach.

"You're kidding me, right? Brian, you _know_ that I have class on Tuesday and Thursday nights! You also know that I have eight AM classes every day!"

"I know, but-"

"And do you realize that I have worked ten days straight?!"

"I know, but I really need your help. You're the only one available." Scott shook his head.

"No. I'm done. You've done this to me too many times. The people that keep calling off need to either be fired or written up, and you can't keep doing this to the people that actually show up for their shifts. I quit." Scott was too angry to ride the bus to the skate park, so he rode his skate board all the way there. His friends looked puzzled as he skated towards them.

"You're here early," Raven said.

"I'm technically late, but yeah I'm early I guess."

"What happened?" a boy with flaming red hair named Kyle asked.

"I went in to do inventory, they had jack shit, and then they asked me to stay and close. I said no and I quit."

"Good for you," Kyle smirked, "Stick it to the man!" Scott chuckled.

"Well, I have to find a new job now."

"I'm glad you quit," a chunky male named Chuck said, "You look like a zombie half of the time we see you. All pale and dark circles under your eyes and shit."

"Fuck you, Chubs," Scott laughed, "Stryker, you got a light?"

"Yup," Kyle pulled out his lighter and tossed it to Scott. The small group lit up and sat along the edge of the pool.

"Why do we call Kyle Stryker again?" Raven asked, inhaling deeply.

"Because it sounds cooler," he grinned.

"It's your last name, dumbass," Chubs snickered.

"It was most definitely that," Stryker smirked thorough his cloud of smoke, "Why doesn't Scott have a nickname?"

"I have one," he smirked, "It's Scott Pilgrim." The other three laughed.

"Jesus Christ. I will never forgive you guys for that nickname." He shook his head and took another drag.

"It was funny," Raven smiled.

"For two weeks." Once they were done with their cigarettes, they skated around the pool for a while before Scott and Stryker had to go to class.

"How do you think Jess is going to react to you quitting?"

"Eh," he shrugged, "She'll forgive me."

"Hey, did you hear what's happening in Cali?" Stryker asked suddenly.

"No….what happened?"

"LA got quarantined."

"What?"

"Yeah! The whole city got quarantined last week. No one's heard from them since." Scott pondered what he just heard for a moment.

"So…the east coast….then LA. What the hell is going on?" _Who's next?_

"Who knows?"

Scott could never understand why he found this particular class so boring. He had always liked history; maybe it was the professor and the way he dragged on and on in a dull, boring voice. He rolled his head to his right, stretching out the muscles in his neck. A few seconds later he heard a helicopter flying overhead; another one soon followed. Curious, he looked out of the window next to him and saw they were flying towards the I-5.

"Is something distracting you, Scott?" the professor asked loudly. He quickly whipped his head back toward the front and sat up straight.

"No, sir." _Jesus Christ, seven pm can't come fast enough._ Later, when his class finally ended, Scott was greeted with Stryker skating up towards him.

"Dude, the professors are going to bust you for skateboarding inside the building."

"I don't give a fuck, bro, this is urgent! Watch this!" He pulled up a news clip on his phone, "This happened while we were in class." Scott watched without much interest; it looked like there had been an accident of some sort on the off ramp, and there was someone lying on a stretcher ready to be either airlifted or put into the ambulance on scene. He only began to gain more interest when he saw a police officer struggling and then being thrown to the ground by the victim.

"Crazy right?" Stryker asked excitedly, "Watch this next part." Scott's brow furrowed slightly and watched as the attacker was shot multiple times, but still advanced toward the other officers.

"Kill shot, bitch!" A bullet ripped through the man's skull and he collapsed to the ground.

"What….?"

"I know right! The dude had to have been using some pretty hard stuff."

"No…..that doesn't make any sense," he took Stryker's phone and rewound the video to the body shots, "There's no blood….."

"Dude, there are so many drugs out there now-a-days, who knows how they can affect your body," he took his phone back, "Do you need a ride home?"

"Nah," Scott shook his head, "I need some air to clear my head."

"Alright, be careful."

"You too." Scott's mind raced as he skateboarded home, the cool air stinging his cheeks. What was that? How did that guy stay standing after so many shots? Why did he only die after just getting shot in the head? Was it related to the bug going around? A man stumbled out of an alley right in front of him. He swerved out of the way, but the rainfall from earlier had made the sidewalk slippery. His board slipped out from under him and he fell onto a car that was parked on the street.

"Hey, man," he groaned as he straightened himself up, "I almost hit you; you need to-" He stopped midsentence; the man was just staring at him, moaning softly.

"Hey, uh…..are-are you okay?" The man moaned again and began to stumble slowly over towards Scott; he quickly moved toward his board and began to back away, spitting out a quick apology.

"Anyway sorry I almost hit you have a safe travel home." He turned and sprinted a few yards before throwing his board down and jumping back on it. By the time he got home, he could feel a large bruise forming on his back and the rest of his upper torso ached from the wipeout.

"Fuck me…..I'm going to be sore tomorrow." Other than having a sore back, the video clip kept Scott tossing and turning for most of the night. He didn't fall asleep until the sky went from a navy blue to purple.

Scott took a deep drag from his cigarette, aimlessly watching the other skaters. Last night was definitely rougher than the night prior. He still had a tired feeling in his eyes despite the number of coffees he had downed that day during and in between his classes. The coffee wasn't the only thing keeping him awake at that moment; the two minute video clip that he had seen earlier was still playing in his mind and the phrase "Kill shot, bitch" still echoed.

"Not skating today, Scott?" Raven asked as she rolled up next to him and flipped her skateboard up with her foot.

"Nah," he shook his head.

"Another rough night?"

"Yup," he took another drag "Last night was worse. I wiped out on my way home last night, and just had a hard time sleeping overall. My whole back is stiff today."

"Ouch," she let her skateboard drop back down, "Make sure you snuggle up to Jess extra good tonight."

"I will," he chuckled, "I'll probably ask to share her blanket when she gets home. Or build a pillow fort. I need a nice break after this hellish week."

"Don't we all," she sat down next to him and lit her own cigarette, "Have you ever thought about quitting?"

"The thought has crossed my mind," he shrugged, "Why?"

"Just curious," she blew out a cloud of smoke, "I might quit after I'm done with this pack."

"Cold turkey?"

"Maybe. I'll probably get gum and patches to ween me off."

"You could vape."

"It's not the same though." The two of them sat in silence for a while, taking a puff every now and again.

"You're awfully quiet," she said finally, "What's going on?"

"Have you seen that video of the guy getting shot on the I-5?"

"Yeah. And?"

"It…..I don't know, it just doesn't seem like he was normal."

"The guy was obviously on something, Scott. You saw the footage. He attacked and the cops unloaded on him. There's nothing to talk about."

"No, Raven. The bullets went through him, but did you notice that there was barely any blood? If you shot a live person, the wound would be spewing out blood. There wasn't even a trickle from him. And he only stopped moving when he was shot in the head."

"What are you trying to get at?"

"I don't want to jump to any conclusions, but I think all of this bug that's going around and this event are connected. I'm not sure in what way." A large helicopter flew overhead, heading north. Scott watched it until it was out of sight, anxiety beginning to bubble up in his stomach.

"Well," he took another puff and put his cigarette out on the concrete, "I'm headed home. Tell Chubs and Sunni I said hi."

"Will do my friend."

Scott was surprised to find that all of his roommates' cars were parked as he skated up towards the house. It was only a little bit after four o'clock, and usually they were not home until five or later.

"I'm home!" Scott called out as he shut the door behind him.

"Thank God," Jess rounded the corner, gave him a tight hug, and kissed him, "I tried calling you, like, ten times."

"Oh, really?" he checked his phone, "I guess they didn't go through; I don't have any missed calls or messages. What's going on? Why are all of you home so early?"

"The CDC ordered that everyone head home and stay there until further notice a few hours ago. Amy said that they've shut down some of the freeways; she just got home a few minutes ago. Jen said that her work didn't even open today."

"Oh," he furrowed his brow as he set his backpack and skateboard down, "That's not good."

"Nope, it sure isn't," Amy popped her head out of the kitchen doorway, "I was on the road for three hours. Just trying to get on and off the freeway was hell."

"Seriously," Jess remarked, "I'm surprised your classes weren't cancelled for the day."

"Anything exciting happen to you today, Scott?" Jen asked from her seat at the table.

"Not really," he sat down next to her, "Quite a few helicopters flying around, but other than that nothing."

"I noticed that. I wonder if it has anything to do with that freeway shooting."

"I hope it doesn't," he muttered. They didn't bring the subject up again until much later, when they heard truck engines and could see flashing lights outside their windows.

"What's going on?" Amy asked. Scott stood up and opened the blinds to get a better look. Moments later, there was a knock on the door and he answered it; a police officer stood outside.

"Sir, we need you to gather everyone in your household and come with us. You're allowed to bring a few items."

"Why? What's going on?"

"We're placing the city under a major quarantine. All of those that haven't been infected are to be escorted to a safe zone. That's all I can tell you at this point in time." Scott looked over his shoulder at his girlfriend and two roommates; they looked just as scared and confused as he was.

"For how long?"

"Until the CDC clears this area."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Check-in**

The pit of anxiety in Scott's stomach grew as they got into the military truck waiting outside their house and began to drive away. He didn't pack much, just some books and a lot of clothing since the winter months were coming soon. He had tried to text Raven, Stryker, and Chubs, but he received no response from them. The roommates hardly said anything to each other; they just huddled in one area of the bench and tried their best to keep out the cold. After what seemed like hours, the truck came to a stop and the canvas flap was pulled down.

"Alright, everybody out! We're here." They all jumped out into the rain and lined up beside the truck, awaiting further instructions.

"Everybody follow me this way!" A soldier shouted and waved them over. The former passengers moved forward in a single file line; Scott noticed that they were surrounded by a fence and that where they were headed had even more fencing. _I don't like the look of this._ Eventually, the entire group was separated by gender and then escorted to a large tent for physical examinations.

"Find an empty slot and wait; a doctor or nurse will be with you shortly." Scott shuffled nervously amongst the crowds of men, trying to find a curtain that had been pulled back. He finally found one towards the back and he sat down on the cot and waited. He watched carefully as some male civilians were walking out casually and some were being escorted. About ten minutes later, a doctor walked in a pulled the curtain closed.

"This is just a standard physical examination," he said as he put the stethoscope's ear tips into his ears and sat down beside Scott, "Take a deep breath in." The physical continued for a while before the doctor began to ask Scott questions about how much he exercised, if he was sexually active, his diet, and the like but it was the last question that threw him completely off guard.

"Have you suffered from any bites or scratches lately?"

"What?" The doctor looked up at him.

"Do you have any bites or scratches?"

"No," Scott responded, confused.

"Hm," the doctor didn't break his gaze, "take off your clothes."

"Why?"

"Confirmation of your statement."

"Why can't you just take my word for it?"

"I could just put you into quarantine with all of the other infected. If you're not sick already, you will be if you go into quarantine." Scott scowled and proceeded to strip down to his boxers.

"Hm," the doctor stood up and walked around Scott, examining his skin carefully.

"You into boys, Doc?" The doctor stopped and glared at Scott for a moment.

"I'm kidding," he said, not breaking his poker face. The doctor continued his examination and stopped right behind him, sending a chill down his spine.

"What happened to your back?"

"Wiped out on my skateboard," he grumbled.

"Your story checks out," the doctor said, jotting something down on his clipboard, "You're free to go." Scott quickly pulled on his clothes and pulled the curtain back.

"By the way," he turned towards the older man, "next time you want a strip tease, buy the poor bastard dinner first." With that, he walked out of the examination tent and attempted to find his girlfriend and roommates.

It took Scott a while to find Jess, Amy, and Jen. After they had reunited, they were then assigned to a tent that held roughly thirty cots, and they claimed four of them; Jess and Scott moved two of them together before sitting down on them.

"Did they do a physical examination on you?" Scott asked.

"Mhm," Jess nodded, "They even made us strip. At least they could have bought us dinner first."

"That's what I said," Scott said, bursting into hysterics, "Was it to check for bites and scratches?"

"That's what they claimed anyway."

"They threatened to throw me into quarantine if I didn't," Scott continued, "This doesn't feel right….something is up." A soldier entered the tent, looked around for a moment, and then his eyes fixated on the four roommates.

"Scott?" He turned his head at the sound of his name being called and his eyes widened.

"Jeremy?" Scott stood up as the soldier made his way over and the two men embraced.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were in Germany for another month."

"I was supposed to be. They called all of us back a few weeks ago to help out here. Hi, Jess."

"Hi. Good to see you."

"Oh! Jeremy, this is Amy and Jen. They're my roommates. Jen, Amy, this is Jeremy: my older brother."

"Nice to meet you," Jen said, extending her hand and shaking Jeremy's. Amy did the same.

"Have you guys eaten yet? They're almost ready to shut down the food area."

"There's food?" Jess asked.

"That answers my question." Once the five of them had their food and sat down, Scott began to ask his brother questions.

"What are you helping out with here exactly?"

"Well….for one, I'm helping keeping things organized. I guess you could say I'm here as backup in case a riot starts, but honestly I spend a whole lot of time doing nothing. But if you want to know why I was called back from Germany, it's because of the virus. They brought all of us back to help out here. I guess they're trying to get the situation under control until they find a cure. Trying to keep people from dying." Scott's blood ran cold.

"Are people dying?"

Jeremy nodded, "Lots."

Jeremy escorted the four of them back to the tent once they were done; lights out was at ten. Before he left, he placed a hand on Scott's shoulder and turned him around.

"I want you to take this," he handed Scott a handgun, "I know you don't like what's going on and neither do I. I'm going to teach you to use that starting at 7 am tomorrow. You keep that hidden, you hear me?" Scott nodded and tucked it into the back of his jeans.

"Listen…if things go south, I'm going rogue and I'm taking all of you with me. Be ready for anything." He ruffled Scott's hair, turned, and left.

"You coming in?" Amy asked, startling him a little.

"Yeah." Once inside, he tucked the gun in between a few jackets in his backpack and lay down on his cot. He lay awake long after the lights went out, his thoughts racing.

"Hey," Jess whispered, "Are you still awake?" Scott turned to face her as a response.

"We're….we're going to be okay, right?" she asked. He could hear the worry in her voice. He moved closer to her and wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly. He wanted to believe that they were going to be fine, that they would get through this and go home, but deep down he knew that it wasn't the case.

"We'll be okay," he whispered, kissing her cheek, "We'll be okay."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Crumble**

 _POP!_ Scott didn't think he would ever get used to the kick, but he learned how to keep his arms steady within a matter of days.

"Wow," Jeremy looked at the target, "You've improved so much faster than when I first started." Scott lowered his gun so that he could get a better look at his target. There were a few stray bullet holes, but one large gaping bullseye.

"I only counted fourteen. You've got one shot left." Scott raised the gun up again, aiming it carefully at the target. He inhaled deeply as he put his finger on the trigger and exhaled when he fired.

"Perfect shot," Jeremy smiled, glancing at his watch, "Let's call it a day. I'm supposed to report to the trucks in half an hour." Scott tucked his gun back into his waistband and pulled his shirt back over it.

"You're going out today?"

"Mhm."

"How is it out there?"

"….not much better than it is in here," he hesitated. Scott inhaled deeply through his nose and sighed. It was clear that the camp was not prepared for the sudden influx of people; food rations had been cut tremendously and many of the refugees went hungry most of the days.

"Can you do me a favor while you're out there?"

"Depends on what it is."

"Do….do you think you can find my friends?"

"The skating gang you're always hanging out with?"

"Yeah. I haven't heard from them in almost two weeks. I just want to know if they're okay." Jeremy placed a hand on Scott's shoulder and they stopped walking.

"Listen Scott, it's getting really bad out there. We're running into more infected and dead people than the living. I'll do what I can to help find your friends and bring them here, but I can't guarantee anything. If I can't find them, I'll do my best to find out any information about them."

"Thanks," Scott nodded, "Be safe okay?"

"I will buddy," Jeremy smiled, "I will." They turned away from each other and began to head their separate ways. Jess was still sleeping when Scott entered the tent; he sat down next to her and leaned down to kiss her. She hummed as he began to rub her arm.

"How're you feeling babe?" he asked quietly.

"I'm freezing," she grumbled and opened her eyes, "and my stomach hurts."

"Do you want me to get you any food? You can have my share if you want."

"No, babe," she sat up and looked at him, "I don't want your share, nor do I really want to eat right now. I need to wake up a little bit first."

"Okay," he smiled and wrapped her into a hug.

"Hey…..are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he felt a little warmer as Jess wrapped her arms around his waist, "I love you."

"I love you too," she kissed him, "You're acting kind of weird though." Scott sighed and pulled her closer to him.

"It's getting really bad out there," he whispered. Jess felt her stomach sink. In a way, she had already known, but it still made her uneasy to hear it.

"Will you teach me to fire a gun?"

"What?" Scott was taken aback by her question. She looked at him seriously.

"I've seen the one that you've got tucked into your waistband. Will you teach me to use it?" He hesitated.

"I guess….I could try. I'm still getting the hang of it myself."

"Would Jeremy be okay with it?"

"I don't see why he wouldn't be. I don't know where he got this one though; I'm not sure if he could loan you one. And you would probably have to get up with me in the morning."

"If that's what it takes, I'll do it."

Scott shivered and crossed his arms as he eyed the military trucks that were pulling in. Dusk was approaching fast, and Jeremy was due any minute now. Besides his brother, Scott was also looking amongst the new refugees to see if his friends were among them. He was trying to keep some hope that they were safe but was finding it to be difficult with each passing day.

"Scott?" He turned to the sound of his name being called.

"Amber?"

"Oh my God! Finally a familiar face," the girl ran to him and hugged him as tight as she could. Although she wasn't part of his main friend group, Scott felt some sense of relief seeing her.

"Have you heard from anyone else?" she asked, "Sunni? Raven? Stryker?" Scott shook his head, his stomach sinking.

"I take it you haven't either?"

"No," she said sadly, "The last I heard from them was last week or so. It's really bad out there. They shut down school right before the military came to pick us up." Scott shook his head.

"I have a feeling I'm not going to see them ever again."

"They could be in a different camp. I heard that we weren't the only ones." He nodded.

"Are you here by yourself?"

She nodded, "I tried to call my parents, but I haven't been able to get a hold of them."

"I'm sorry. If you want…you can come to our tent. I think there are still a few cots."

"Aren't they assigning people to tents?"

"They were," he shrugged, "They've stopped."

"Scott! Wake up!" His eyes flew open to see Jeremy standing over his cot and shaking him.

"What the fu-?"

"We found them."

"What?" he sat up, "Where are they? Are they alright?"

"Shut up. Yes they're fine, but…they're in quarantine."

"What….what do you mean?"

"They started putting all the refugees in quarantine for twenty-four hours now, even if they seem healthy. I'm not sure if one of them came in sick, but all of them are there as far as I know." Jeremy glanced over his shoulder and then leaned closer to Scott.

"Things are starting to crumble," he said quietly, "Before too long, we're going to have to get out of here. I'll try to help you save all of your friends, but there might be people we have to leave behind. Do you understand me?" Scott nodded.

"Tomorrow morning we're all going to target practice. All of you."

"You have extra guns?"

"Yeah. I've been sneaking some supplies for a while now. I could see the cracks in the system since day one. We were never prepared for something like this; we were just scrambling to save what people we could." He stood up, "Never repeat what I told you to anyone. That's an order." Scott nodded.

"We didn't talk. I didn't see you tonight. Understood?" Scott nodded again and watched his older brother walk out of the tent.

"I didn't see you," he whispered to himself as he lay back down, "We didn't talk. We're going to be okay."

The girls were not thrilled to be woken early the next morning by Jeremy, but forgave him when they realized why. Target practice didn't last as long as Jeremy would have liked, but figured it would be sufficient enough for them.

"Stop; you should be okay."

"Are you sure?" Jen asked, nervously turning the safety back on.

"I'm not, but we're short on time so it will have to do. Gather around closely, I have some information I need to share with you." The four of them huddled together in the cold, like children around a parent.

"There are some other soldiers that agreed to help us if we decide to leave."

"Why would we leave?" Amy asked.

"Let him explain," Scott said.

"Things are starting to fall apart," he continued, "If shit does hit the fan, we're running here and jumping the fences. In case you haven't noticed, there are no guards here which means no one to stop us."

"What if we can't find you?" Scott asked.

"Don't worry about me. All of you run as fast and as far as you can, and trust no one."

"Got it."

"We should get going. They're going to stop serving breakfast soon and I'm on watch today. Keep your guns hidden." As soon as they were out of earshot, Jen got close to Scott.

"We're going to be okay, right?"

"Yeah…we'll be fine."

"You don't sound so confident."

"Well….."

"Well what?" Jess coaxed him.

"Listen," he sighed, "I want all of us safe, but it's not something I can guarantee….and that bothers me."

"I think if we stick together we'll all be okay," Amy said, "Safety in numbers, you know?" Scott smiled at her.

"Yeah. Safety in numbers." As they approached the outskirts of the dining area, a mop of bright red hair caught Scott's eye.

"Stryker?" The boy turned and his eyes widened.

"Holy shit," he threw his cigarette butt down without extinguishing it and embraced Scott, "Dude….I thought I was never going to see you again. You just vanished and I was so scared you were dead. I'm so glad you're okay."

"I'm sorry. I tried calling…"

"All of the phone lines went down right after you left." They separated, tears welling up in their eyes.

"Where are the others? Did they come with you?"

"They did, but I think they're still stuck in quarantine."

"Damn it. Why were you even there in the first place?"

"Remember when I wiped out on my skateboard a couple days before you disappeared?"

Scott flinched, "Yeah I remember."

"Well, the road rash scabbed over but they didn't believe my story."

"They questioned me about my skateboard injuries on my back. I was lucky though."

"Sunni has been getting over a head cold, so they threw her in there too. Raven followed but there's nothing wrong with her."

"What about Chubs?"

"I haven't seen him." Scott felt his stomach sink, but it popped right back up as it growled.

"Have you eaten yet?"

"No, but I wouldn't bother," Stryker took out another cigarette and began to light it, "They stopped serving right as I got here. Want one?" Scott obliged and the girls retreated to the tent to sleep off their hunger.

"What the _fuck_ is going on here?" Stryker growled, "Why bring us here if we have almost the same chance of surviving out there."

"Did you really though? It's at least somewhat organized here. At least it was." Stryker took another drag of his cigarette and held it in before he exhaled.

"You know what…..you're right. I think we're safer here. People have been acting…..weird."

"How?"

"Like….they're dead, but they're still moving around and shit." Scott felt the color drain from his face.

"How do you know they're dead?"

"I don't know if all of them that act like that are, but I saw some dude with a huge hole in his chest staggering around on my way here." Scott snuffed out his half burnt cigarette, suddenly feeling very nauseous.

"Dude! What the fuck? This is my last pack!"

"I'll finish it later."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Crash**

"You're sure you don't want anymore?" Jess asked. Scott shook his head and took another swig from his mug of watered down coffee.

"Alright," she put the bowl to her lips and tilted her head back, finishing off the contents. Scott glanced around at the growing group of misfits he called friends. Stryker was turning a cigarette over in his hands, debating on whether or not he really wanted to light it. Raven was watching Sunni finish off the last bit of their rationed broth. The rest, which included Amber, Jen, Amy, and Chubs, were looking at their empty bowls in dismay. The camp had drastically cut rations within the past few days, and what little food they had usually consisted of thin, flavorless broth.

"Do you think we're going to get anything soon?" Sunni asked.

"What are you referring too?" Amy asked.

"News, water, medicine…..literally anything." The group was silent for a moment.

"As positive as I'm trying to be….I don't think we are," Amber said dismally. _I'm glad I wasn't the one to say it,_ Scott thought to himself.

"I'll be in the tent," he said, standing up.

"Are you okay?" Jess asked, looking worried.

"Fine. Just tired." _And hungry._

"Okay. I'll be there soon." He nodded and proceeded on his way. As he made his way through the camp, he noticed some of the trucks had begun to pull out. It wasn't anything unusual, trucks went out almost every day, but for some reason watching the troops roll out today made Scott suspicious. Something just seemed off. A hand on his shoulder startled him out of his thoughts.

"Jesus, Jeremy! You can be less discreet about talking to me; I _am_ your brother."

"Be prepared to leave soon," he whispered.

"What?"

"Be prepared to leave soon. They've terminated any further activity to keep this place going. They're giving up. I don't know what they're planning on doing to this place, but it can't be anything good."

"Well, what about the rest of the people here? We can't just leave them to starve."

Jeremy sighed, "We can't save everyone. I want to, Scott, I really do but you are of upmost importance to me. You're my brother and I love you; I would never forgive myself if I left you here to die. And before you ask, I'm bringing your friends along too."

Scott nodded, his heart swelling, "Tell me something."

"What?"

"Why did you join the army in the first place if you don't trust them?" Jeremy hesitated and casted his gaze downward, thinking.

"I didn't think I had another choice at the time. I don't know if you remember, but I just barely graduated high school. I wasn't doing too well in community college either and I didn't want you going down the same path as me. So I shipped myself off as far away from you as I could." Scott's eyes welled up with tears.

"Did….mom influence your decision?"

"Yes and no. In the end it was my choice to get away from you. It was _not_ your fault, okay? I just wanted you to be a free thinker and to discover things on your own. I wanted you to be a better person than me." Scott nodded and the two brothers embraced.

"I need to get going now. I'll be late for my watch. Be ready."

"You're not asleep, are you?" Jen's whisper reached Amy's ears.

"Nope," she sat up, "are you two awake?"

"You bet your ass we are," Jess grumbled as she and Scott began to sit up.

"Don't you find it odd that over half of the people in the tent aren't here?" Jen asked.

"I find it _very_ odd," Jess replied, "Did Jeremy say anything else?"

"Just to be ready. Something isn't right about any of this; the whole day has been off."

"How so?" Amy leaned forward in her cot.

"I don't know how to explain it. It's just a feeling I have. But I've noticed that more trucks have gone out that usual." Jess sat up straighter upon hearing this.

"Did….did they come back?" Realization struck Scott and an overwhelming sense of dread began to sink in.

"No….I didn't see them come back." Almost as if on cue, Jeremy came running through the tent.

"Get up!" he hissed, "We have to leave now!"

"Jeremy, what the fuck is going on?" Scott asked as he got up and grabbed his backpack.

"Trust me, Scott….you don't want to know. Stay close." The camp was quieter than usual, making the group's senses all the more heightened. After a few yards, they stopped in front of another group containing Amy, Stryker, Raven, Sunni, and Chubs.

"You have no idea what a relief it is to see you," a soldier said to Jeremy.

"Guys, this is my friend Nathan. Since he's coming with us, I figured I would put him in charge of rounding up your other friends too."

"Thanks," Scott smiled.

"Don't mention it. Now we seriously have to get a move o-" He was cut off by shouts and army personnel running towards the front gates.

"Fucking hell," Nathan muttered, "There's no way…"

"Who cares? We have to fucking move! Stay close every one!" The large group broke into a sprint in the opposite direction of the rest of the soldiers.

"Jeremy! There's no way we can all stick together! We need to establish a rendezvous point!" Jeremy nodded and turned around to face his brother.

"Scott, get everyone to the back gates. Nathan and I are going to go find a truck. We'll meet you there."

Scott nodded, "Got it."

"Be safe," Jeremy gave him a quick hug, "Don't do anything stupid." The two men split off towards the left, and the rest of them began to run ahead. Civilians began to come out of their tents and look at the chaos confused. A few of them caught sight of the group of young adults and began to panic. The sound of gun shots stopped them from going any further; curiosity got the better of them as they turned to watch. The first row of fences had been knocked down by a mob of refugees and they were now shaking the main row of fencing that led into the camp. The soldiers in the watch tower were firing down on them.

"Why are they firing on those people? Are they sick?" Jen asked aloud.

"They must be," Styker mumbled. Scott stared intently at the mob clawing their way through the fence. Some of the ones that had been shot were leaning against the fence, causing it to bend.

"It's going to fall." Time seemed to slow down as the sound of metal and wood snapping made echoed through the night sky and the watch towers fell. Shrieks emitted from the falling soldiers as the mob continued to advance. It didn't take long for more screams to dance through the night sky.

"We have to go." They broke into a furious run. Scott knew that the back wall was past the shooting ranges, but he had no idea where the back gates were and they didn't have time to search. Some of the groaning mob members were right on their tails. They hit the fencing and immediately began to climb as fast as they could. One of the moaners grabbed hold of Jen's ankle and she screamed. Jess fired twice, knocking him off, and the two of them proceeded.

"Guys! Help!" Chubs shouted as they were near the top. Scott looked down and saw that several of the moaners were making a grab at him.

"Go ahead!" He began to climb sideways as the rest of them jumped over the fence. His knuckles turned white was he gripped onto the thin metal and reached for his gun. Aim, inhale, fire. Missed.

"Fuck!" Aim, Inhale, Fire. One down. Aim, Inhale, Fire. Missed again. Aim, Inhale. His stomach sank as his friend lost his grip.

"CHUBS!" It was no use. Chubs let out blood curdling screams as Scott watched wide-eyed at the carnage occurring below him. The moaners were biting and tearing at his flesh and more were joining in. Headlights washed over Scott and he continued to climb. He knew Jeremy, Nathan and the rest of his friends were yelling at him to get in the truck, but no sounds were coming from their mouths. He barely registered even getting into the truck

"Are you okay?" Jess asked once Scott was sitting down, but she received no response.

A tidal wave of emotions washed over Scott when the truck finally stopped. Almost falling out, he ran over to a tree and began to empty what little stomach contents he had, tears streaming down his face. Images of Chubs being ripped to shreds kept flashing through is mind, knotting his stomach and making him more upset. He felt Jeremy kneel next to him.

"I fucking killed him," he gasped, "I killed my friend."

"There was nothing you could do, Scott."

"I tried to help! I really did-"

"I know," Jeremy placed a hand on his shoulder, "I'm so sorry that you had to see that. You're very brave. Any other person would have left him. You tried." Scott sniffled and straightened up.

"Have you seen friends die in front of you?"

"More than I care to admit."

"Did you ever try to save them?"

"Whenever I could."

"How do you live with that guilt?" Jeremy was quiet for a moment.

"I just try to get through the day knowing that they would have done the same for me, and that I tried, and that there was no way I could get both of us out alive."

"You sure about that?"

"Positive. Trust me, those scenes play over and over like a broken record. I know what it's like." Scott sighed, letting the tears fall as the sky began to lighten.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Smoke and Ash**

A pulling sensation in Scott's shoulder woke him up. As he was becoming more coherent, he recognized the scent on his nose as smoke and the extreme dryness in his throat and mouth; his eyes opened to reveal a blood orange sun and a dark grey sky with snowy ash falling from it.

"What's going on?" he mumbled.

"Get up!" Jess was tugging at Scott's arm, a bandana covering her nose and mouth.

"What's going on?"

"They started to bomb and burn the area. We heard over the radio that they decimated the camp, now they're stretching it to the surrounding areas. We have to move now!" This was enough to completely wake up Scott and send him jumping into the back of the truck.

"Here," Nathan threw him a scarf. Scott quickly placed it over his face, tying the knot under his chin.

"How are you feeling?" Jen asked, her voice muffled by cloth.

"Tired."

"You weren't asleep for that long before I woke you," Jess explained, "Try to get some sleep now."

"I don't know if I can." Since they had left the camp three days prior, Scott had been hyped up on adrenaline. No matter how tired he was, no matter how heavy his eyes were, no matter how much his brain screamed at his body to go to sleep, it wouldn't come. If it did, it was light and only for about an hour. It seemed like everyone else was on a prolonged adrenaline rush as well, but it also seemed like they were able to get way more sleep than he was.

"FUCK!" Jeremy slammed on the breaks and sent the passengers flying forward.

"What the fuck is your problem?!" Raven screamed at him. She had been quick to anger since she had stopped smoking, and the lack of smoke only aggravated it.

"Hang on tight!" Jeremy shouted has he turned the wheel tightly. As the truck turned, the young adults saw a huge wall of flame trailing behind them. The overwhelming heat seemed to tighten the skin on their shocked faces. The truck thundered on, trailing dirt and ash behind them. The truck stalled for a moment before the gears changed and the speed picked up again. Thick, dark smoke and bright embers began to surround the small group, making them all huddle closer together. Jen tightly shut her eyes and buried her face into Amy's arm, crying and praying. It seemed like an eternity before they emerged onto a clear road. Everyone released a breath that they didn't realize they were holding. Jess turned to Scott and placed a hand on the back of his head.

"Try now," she said softly. Scott shook his head.

"I don't think-"

"You haven't slept in three days," she hissed, tears welling up in her eyes, "Please….try for me." He nodded and lay down with his head in her lap. Everyone was stunned, too emotionally drained from the past few days.

"Will it ever _fucking_ end?" Stryker snapped, his voice cracking. Amber scooted closer to him and hugged him.

"It will be okay…."

"How do you know?"

"I don't," she whispered, "but you have to keep telling yourself that."

"Hey, Jeremy?" Amy asked nervously, "Do you think they'll put these fires out." He took a deep breath and shrugged.

"I would imagine so. I don't think they would let it go to the point where they could not contain it, but then again…I don't think anyone is supposed to be alive from this ordeal." Anxious knots began to grow tighter in everyone's stomachs.

"Don't worry too much," Nathan turned in his seat towards them, "We have a plan."

"We do?" Jess raised an eyebrow. Scott's eyes were closed, but he wasn't asleep nor did he have the energy to participate in the conversation.

"We have a connection in Everett. From there, we might go to Port Angeles or Forks. We haven't heard a status update from either of those connections yet." Jess nodded and leaned back, stroking Scott's hair. He fell into a semi-deep state of slumber, flames and the undead searing their images into the backs of his eyelids.

 **Author's Note: Some of you may or may not know, but the week of October 8** **th** **, 2017 has been a rough one for the inhabitants of Napa, Santa Rosa, and Calistoga. I have been living in St. Helena (right between Napa and Calistoga) since early September, so I had to evacuate to Auburn, and I am residing with an old neighbor. The Tubbs Fire has burned quite a bit of Santa** **Rosa, and affected parts of Calistoga. The Atlas Peak fire has burned much of the city of Napa, but neither fires have affected St. Helena (besides air quality). Many of the characters emotions and actions are reflective of my emotions and actions this past week. That being said, I dedicate this chapter to all of the fire victims and to my former neighbors for taking me in. I would also dedicate this chapter to my friend, Jer. Thank you so much for checking in on me and being the "hug" I needed when I didn't have one. If you would like to help the victims of either the Tubbs Fire or the Atlas Peak Fire, or anywhere else, you can donate to the Red Cross. Thank you.**


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